Warriors-Kings Preview

By ANTONIO GONZALEZPosted Feb 18 2014 7:21PM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings are likely returning from the All-Star break without their franchise centers.

Andrew Bogut sat out the last two practices for Golden State after a flare reaction from a cortisone shot in his ailing left shoulder and is out indefinitely. DeMarcus Cousins is coping with a strained hip flexor that is expected to sideline him when the Kings host the Warriors on Wednesday night in the first game following the break for both teams.

That's about where the similarities end between the Northern California rivals.

The Warriors (31-22) are hoping to start a strong late-season push to the playoffs for the second straight year. The rebuilding Kings (18-35) are simply hoping to finish strong as they head toward an eighth consecutive losing season.

The difference in how the teams are approaching the stretch run was evident when they reconvened for practice this week.

While the Kings publicly refuted rumors ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, the Warriors held a players' meeting after a workout Monday night. Several veterans spoke up, notably backup center Jermaine O'Neal, who has battled a nagging right wrist injury most of the season - his 18th in the NBA.

O'Neal, who is expected to play more until Bogut returns, believes the Warriors' success hinges on their "will to win."

"I look at as 29 games left in my career," O'Neal said he told his teammates. "That's all I know that's guaranteed right now. And whatever I have to do in these 29 games, I'm going to have to do. There was a purpose in me sitting out the last two games from the team's perspective, and I'm going to give whatever I got. If I'm going to be wheeled off after 29 games, then I'll be wheeled off. It's about winning."

The Warriors have had plenty of success this season - they've just struggled to sustain it.

They won 10 in a row - with seven of the victories coming on the road - before dropping several games at home to teams with losing records, including Washington, Charlotte, Minnesota and Denver. After talking during training camp about reaching the Western Conference finals, the Warriors are closer to missing the postseason than having home-court advantage in the first round.

Golden State began Tuesday tied with Phoenix for the eighth seed in the West. Both were 1 1/2 games ahead of Memphis and five games behind the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers, who were fourth in the conference.

Warriors coach Mark Jackson said the experience of going through a playoff push - and then the playoffs - last season should help his team this time around.

"It's valuable. You can't pay for that type of experience," Jackson said. "Going through what we went through last year to close out the regular season and also in the postseason, it allows us not to be afraid of the moment. Bright lights don't affect us. We're embracing this next stretch."

About 80 miles north on Interstate 80, Sacramento is still trying to lay the foundation of a rebuilding project that's likely years away from completion.

New Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro has been busy making moves all season, including a seven-player trade to acquire Rudy Gay from Toronto in December. One move D'Alessandro promised not to make is parting ways with rookie Ben McLemore, telling reporters after Tuesday's practice in Sacramento that he has not - and will not - include the seventh overall pick in any trade talks.

Defense and discipline remain a constant struggle for the Kings, who have been trying to surround Cousins with more talented players. Now Cousins' status is in doubt after he got injured in New York in Sacramento's final game before the break.

First-year Kings coach Michael Malone said Cousins is "very questionable" for Wednesday's game. No matter who's on the floor, though, Malone said this is a critical stretch for the franchise's future.

"We have 29 games to establish our identity - to defend, to rebound and to run with discipline," said Malone, who spent the previous two seasons as Jackson's top assistant with the Warriors. "My hope is we can finish the season on a strong note, which we can carry into next season."

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Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Copyright 2014 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Warriors hold off Kings 101-92 in Sacramento

By ANTONIO GONZALEZPosted Feb 20 2014 1:43AM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) With word spreading about a trade sending popular teammate Kent Bazemore and fellow reserve MarShon Brooks to the Los Angeles Lakers for point guard Steve Blake just before tipoff, the Golden State Warriors had every excuse to be out of rhythm in their first game following the All-Star break.

"It became a setup game," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "We could have held our heads down and got emotional before the game. But we understood that there's a job to do."

The Warriors came out strong and closed even stronger, holding off the Sacramento Kings 101-92 on Wednesday night in a game both teams played short-handed because of trades and injuries.

David Lee finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 18 points and Stephen Curry added 13 points and eight assists for a Warriors (32-22) team trying to make a strong playoff push.

They began the season's stretch run by parting ways with Brooks and Bazemore, best known by fans for his animated celebrations on the bench, but also a player beloved by coaches and teammates since coming to the organization last season.

"He's been here when we were just dreaming to be good," Jackson said.

Players were told of the trade about an hour before the game, and the teams announced the deal just before halftime. Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, in his first season with the Warriors, called Bazemore's departure "probably the first one that I've been around that was kind of emotional."

"It almost happened so close to game time," Lee added, "that we didn't have time to process it."

With both centers out with injuries and a shorter roster from trades each team made earlier in the day, the depth of the Warriors was just too much for the Kings to overcome.

Isaiah Thomas had 26 points and seven assists, and Travis Outlaw scored 18 points for Sacramento (18-36), which is headed for an eighth straight losing season.

Quincy Acy grabbed a career-high 12 boards to help the Kings outrebound the Warriors 49-35, but Sacramento committed 21 turnovers and faded in the closing minutes.

"We seemed hell bent on giving them as many possessions as possible," said Kings coach Michael Malone, who spent the previous two seasons as Jackson's lead assistant.

The game was played in the aftermath of a busy day for both Northern California teams.

The Kings traded guard Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn for veterans Jason Terry and Reggie Evans in the morning. Then the Warriors pulled off the deal for Blake just before the game, adding a savvy veteran behind Curry.

Andrew Bogut also missed his fifth straight game for the Warriors with a left shoulder injury. DeMarcus Cousins, who strained his left hip flexor in Sacramento's final game before the break in New York, also sat out. Both centers are day to day.

The Kings, who dropped to 0-8 without Cousins this season, still led 76-75 entering the fourth quarter. But the Warriors quickly put together a pair of scoring spurts to put the game away.

Lee converted a layup through traffic, Thompson made a 3-pointer and Iguodala hit a fadeway jumper in an 8-0 run that gave Golden State an 86-79 lead early in the fourth. After the Kings started to rally, Iguodala found Draymond Green for a dunk, and Lee followed with a layup that put the Warriors up 94-84 with 3:28 remaining that all but sealed it.

"I thought it really showed a lot of guts," Jackson said. "They bounced back, they took the lead and we responded."

Most of the game played out in similar fashion.

The Warriors, who shot just 3 for 19 from 3-point range, went ahead by 10 points in the first quarter and 15 in the second by spreading the floor without any true centers on the court.

The Kings came back each time, though, playing just like the two-faced team they'd been before the break - prone to scintillating scoring spurts but, at times, lacking defense and discipline - that buried them at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

"We didn't really make them pay like we were supposed to," said Kings forward Rudy Gay, who scored 16 points. "I don't think we were being selfish. I think we just have to get smarter."

NOTES: Golden State is 3-0 against Sacramento this season. The teams meet for the final time this season April 4 in Oakland. ... Recently retired NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, a former star at California, sat in a courtside seat between Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and team executive Chris Mullin. ... The Warriors are hoping Blake will be in uniform when they host Houston on Thursday night in Oakland. ... Terry and Evans should have plenty of time to make it to Sacramento before the Kings host Boston on Saturday night.

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Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Copyright 2014 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Warriors 101, Kings 92

THE FACT: With the trade deadline and tip-off both looming, both the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors pulled off trades before tonight's game. Sacramento dealt Marcus Thornton to the Brooklyn Nets for veterans Jason Terry and Reggie Evans. Moments before the action started, the Warriors pulled Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks from the bench, sending them to the Los Angeles Lakers for Steve Blake.

THE LEAD: Golden State (32-22) used a big fourth quarter push to overcome the Kings (18-36) on their home floor 101-92 Wednesday night.

David Lee played strong in the win, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds for the visiting Warriors. Klay Thompson added 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting, while Stephen Curry scored 13 points and dished out eight assists in the win.

Playing without the injured DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings turned to Isaiah Thomas and he delivered. Thomas finished with a team-high 26 points and seven assists in 42 minutes of action. Rudy Gay struggled with his shot early, but managed to chip in 16 points and eight rebounds. Travis Outlaw added 18 points off the bench and Quincy Acy grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "We like our core and I think our core likes each other. I think it's a core that can win and our bench, for whatever reason, I think struggled early on and anything we can do to fortify it we've tried to do." --Warriors GM Bob Myers on the trade for Blake

QUOTABLE II: "[Bazemore] has been here during the tough times. He's been here when we were just dreaming to be good. He was here throughout the entire process, so to realize that a guy is no longer with us, it became a setup game. We could have held our heads down and got emotional before the game, but we understood there was still a job to do." --Warriors coach Mark Jackson on Bazemore being traded to the Lakers

THE STAT: Golden State came into the game with the league's second best 3-point percentage at 38.4 percent. Tonight they shot just 3-for-19 (15.8 percent) from long range. This game wouldn't have been close if the Warriors were hitting from the perimeter.

TURNING POINT: After trailing going to the fourth, Golden State used a quick burst to open the fourth quarter and put Sacramento away.

QUOTABLE III: "I love the way my guys responded, took care of the basketball on the road, which is a huge step, especially with us trying to get better." -- Jackson on the win

HOT: Thomas caught fire in the third, scoring 12 of his game-high 26 points in the quarter

NOT: Gay struggled with his shot all night, finishing 6-for-21 from the field in the loss.

GOOD MOVE: Despite playing short-handed, the Warriors fought through a rough shooting night and came out on top.

BAD MOVE: Kings coach Michael Malone turned to his young bench to start the fourth quarter and the Warriors went on a 12-3 run in the first four minutes.

NOTABLE: Andrew Bogut missed his fifth straight game with an inflamed left shoulder. ... The Kings dropped to 0-8 when Cousins misses a game due to injury this season. Sacramento posted their 10th sellout of the season.